More than words can tell
HALEY PAYNE ROBERTS
MCO Senior Staff Writer
There have been a plethora of literary and philanthropic influences that have called Tennessee home: Ann Patchett, Nikki Giovanni, Cormac McCarthy, James Agee, and the list goes on. However, none are so important nor so radiant as Dolly Parton.
Raised with her 12 siblings in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Parton has held a legendary status as a Tennessee treasure for many decades. I could easily rattle off Parton’s career highlights by mentioning her involvement with The Porter Wagoner Show and hits like Jolene and Here You Come Again.
However, there’s something beyond Parton’s musical successes worth highlighting that continues to change the lives of kids all over the world.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library launched in 1995 in Sevier County, where Parton saw a need for literacy access in her hometown, and it has since exploded into a significant literary resource for kids across the globe. Each month, from the day a child is born through their fifth birthday, they receive a carefully selected children’s book in the mail at no cost.
In 2003, the program gifted over 1 million books and became a vast resource serving other countries. The program now distributes over 2 million monthly – 900,000 each month in the U.S. alone.
I am a product of the Imagination Library and still have some of the titles sent by the program. It worked its magic. I grew up with an intense passion for reading, and when it was time to declare my major as an undergrad, there was no question that it would be English.
The Imagination Library is a testament to Dolly Parton’s enduring belief in the power of books to transform lives. Her program has become a global beacon of hope, ensuring that every child, no matter their circumstances, has the opportunity to hold a book, turn its pages, and dream big.
Through the Imagination Library, she has given millions of children the tools to do just that – one book at a time.
Yes – Moore County residents can participate in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library! There are 126 children in Moore County currently participating out of 277,930 enrolled across Tennessee.
Stories like The Very Noisy Night and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom from the IL grew into trips to the school library for The Magic Tree House and A to Z Mysteries. In middle and high school, I became partial to the dystopian and fantasy staples like Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter.
Now, I still love exploring new worlds through books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, Fourth Wing, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (the best book of the 20th century, in my humble opinion). Stories are my life, and the Imagination Library helped spark this love that is still with me today.
I have a lot of people to credit my success for. Of course, my family – blood and otherwise – and many other sources of inspiration growing up. However, Parton holds an important spot on the list as an inspiration through the IL and beyond. She even got me into grad school.
When writing my application essay, I was prompted to think about different points of inspiration that led me to this point in my academic career. Parton put in a lot of hard work to get where she is, and it was no far stretch to consider her one of my heroes.
What better way to creatively assert myself than through Parton’s genius? So I told the MTSU College of Journalism what good a girl can do with a little bit of rhinestones, a whole lot of passion, and a good ole Southern twang. And here I am today!
We all have something to learn from Parton. She never has bad press. She supports the arts, literacy, and any other cause you can name. Her charity knows no bounds – so much so that she’s managed to evade billionaire status by giving it away as fast as she makes it. She’s never been caught saying a bad word about anyone.
Parton said it herself: “I try to see good in everybody, and I don’t care who people are as long as they’re themselves, whoever that is.”
If you need further proof of her goodwill, just take a drive through Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, as we all do so often, and see the impression she’s made on her home region. (And grab some of her cinnamon bread while you’re at it!)
Most importantly, Parton serves as a beacon of hope through her determination and compassion. She is no different than you or I, having come out of humble beginnings in the Great Smoky Mountains and flourishing into a reminder of the prevailing nature of benevolence and neighborliness.
Singing Parton’s praises is easy when she’s such a staple in our Southern culture. I would argue that she is the epitome of the Southern woman, proving that we can do immense good in the world and look good while doing it. Hence, my favorite quote of hers: “It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world!”
